DETROIT, 3:50 PM, FRI AUG 8 | 28 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@jalopnik.com | RSS
Posts Tagged “

Hummer


industry news

GM In Talks To Buy Out Hummer Dealerships

Automotive News reports that General Motors is bribing incentivizing moribund Hummer dealers by prepaying them second- and third-quarter bonuses based upon 2007 sales. The company is also reportedly talking to many dealer principals behind-the-scenes about buyout options, attempting to smooth the transition to a brand sale or closure and avoid some of the expensive legal issues that plagued its Oldsmobile shutdown. Dealers could use all the help they can get: Hummer sales plummeted nearly 60% in June, compared with a year earlier. More »

industry news

Hummer H2 Assembly Line To Produce Just-As-Boxy Standard Taxis

The Standard Taxi by VPG Auto has been working the publicity circuit for a while now, but it appears AM General may step up to actually produce it. With the likely death of the Hummer H2, AM General will have excess capacity at its Mishawaka, Indiana plant. Assuming VPG can secure financing, they'll be able to start building the taxis next year. Details and full release after the jump.

More »

gadgets

1:16 Scale Hummer HX Concept Raises Eyebrows

Hummer is on one hell of a rollercoaster ride lately. The brand may be done and the sales are plummeting, but the Hummer HX concept is still rumored to be involved in the Transformers sequel. And now, for the first time, the HX can be purchased by general consumers, at least in the toy form, with this remote-control 1:16 scale Hummer HX. It's available for $40, but don't confuse it with the Warthog. So what's going on, Hummer? Are you throwing in the towel or pushing on with concept designs that won't be hitting production anytime soon? [Product Page via Likecool]

industry news

GM To Get More Layoffs, Lose A Brand

According to the WSJ, GM's early-August board meeting is likely to result in layoffs affecting both blue- and white-collar workforces. They're also reporting GM is seriously exploring sloughing off another brand, either by outright closure or by placing it up for sale, a-la Hummer's "strategic review." We've put together a quick brand-viability scorecard breakdown after the jump for those of you playing along at home. More »


industry news

Hummer Sales Fall 59.3%, Rest Of GM Sales Down 18.5%, Car Industry Carnage Continues

Hummer sold 59.3% fewer vehicles in June this year than it did in June 2007, further fueling questions about the brand's viability. GM's overall sales are down 18.5% for June and 16.5% for the first half of 2008. There's some light at the end of the tunnel though: Malibu and Cobalt sales are soaring. The Malibu is up 73.4% from a year ago, while Cobalt is 21.6% higher. Where will the car industry carnage stop? Check back at the end of the day for a full sales report wrap-up. [source: Automotive News Sub. Req.]

transformers 2

Hummer H3: Decepticon or Autobot?

It seems that the HX won't be the only Hummer vehicle featured in Transformers 2. At the Cinema Expo International 2008 in Amsterdam, GM shelled out some bucks for a big platform that includes the H3 logo, the Transformers logo and dual black H3's to go along with it all. More »

industry news

GM To Offer Zero-Percent Financing, Raise Prices, Screen Hummer Buyers

With sales in the toilet, GM plans to offer 0% financing for up to 72 months starting tomorrow and running through next Monday. The special Hail Mary offer will be valid on approximately 80% of the automaker's unsold inventory, and is a last-ditch effort to show at least passable June sales. And, to ensure GM has to repeat this profit-draining stunt next year, the company will raise the prices for most of its 2009 models by approximately 3.5%. Maybe that ZR1 price gouging was just a sign of things to come? Oh, but there's more. More »

industry news

More Evidence Points To Hummer Sale; Russians, Chinese Interested?

More evidence is emerging that GM is moving quickly to solve its Hummer problem. The Detroit Free Press reports today on John Voss, a Dayton-area dealer who purchased a Hummer franchise in April, who says that GM offered to refund his money. "They have three choices and they said they want to make this decision very quickly," Voss said. "They are either going to make a smaller Hummer hybrid and change the H2, close the brand or sell it." Given the lead time needed to create a Hummer hybrid or impose radical changes to the H2 and the implications of closing the brand, a sale still seems to be the most practical option for GM. More »

industry news

Hummer To Join Fred, Be Not-Yet-Dead?

Mark Phelan, columnist for the Detroit Free Press, today argues both sides of the "should Hummer stay or should it go?" coin. On one hand, Hummer's gas-sucking asshole image isn't doing GM any favors, and poor sales numbers make the abuse harder to absorb. On the other hand, Hummers are truly capable vehicles with a rabid (if shrinking) fan base. Then there's the issue of Hummer dealers getting all sue-happy if GM shut the brand down. There still seems to be a logical option, however. More »

industry news

Tata Looking At Buying Hummer, Jokes Write Themselves

Okay, sooner or later Tata is going to have to stop making headlines, 'cause we're really, really trying to cut back on the innuendo. But today we get news that Tata is considering purchasing the brand GM may be trying to shed, Hummer. And even with our newfound restraint, we have to admit we had a mild aneurysm at the innuendo potential. Nobody from either the GM or Tata side is willing to make a comment on the possible sale, but word is that GM is shopping the brand around to the Indian mega-conglomerate. This makes us wonder, how does Tata greenwash itself when it builds a tiiiiiiny car, and a giant, gas-guzzling SUV? Well, we're sure they'll figure it out — Hummer tatas! [India Times]

novelties

Electric Mini-Hummer Spotted In The Wild

Remember the electric Hummer H9T we found on Ebay? Well, during our review of the Mazdaspeed3, we came across another, this one just chillin' in a University of Wisconsin parking lot up in Madison. Okay, so this obviously isn't one of the General's official Baja-capable Hummers, but maybe something like this could actually benefit the brand. Well, at least as far as CAFE requirements are concerned. Though it'll probably just be easier for GM to sell off the brand.

baja 500

Once Upon A Time In Mexico: PUTC Hoons A Hummer H2 SUT In The Baja 500

While the General may be trying to sell off the Hummer brand, that didn't stop a few of the Humvee-wannabes from being deployed down to Mexico to wage war in the Baja 500. Proving — or at least attempting to prove — the H2, H2 SUT and H3 aren't just suburban soft-roading sissy-mobiles. Jalopnik superfriend, Mike Levine of Pickuptrucks.com, was embedded with Team Hummer, documenting every step along the way. Starting with a stock H2 SUT, the crew painstakingly prepared the truck to compete in the, err... Stock Full-Size Truck Class. OK, so that's actually more work than it may sound. "Stock" may have been bastardized as a term by Nascar, but on the craggy Baja trails it actually still means something. Mike got to ride along for the race, and as you can see above, we've got some footage of the beast in action to prove it. And by beast, we meant the H2 SUT. Check out the crazy Mexican adventure in it's entirety over at Pickuptrucks.com.

transformers 2

Hummer HX Featured In Transformers 2?

All this time we thought that the Hummer HX concept was going to be in the next version of Halo, given its resemblance to the Warthog. But lo and behold, this HX appears to be some sort of character in the next Transformers movie. Maybe the HX can use its video recording feature to grab some video from the set and send it to us. Or would that be a copyright violation? Would they have to send a Chinese Malibu police car after us? Do the fake Chinese also not enforce intellectual property laws? More »

industry news

Hummer Up For Sale, Four Truck Plants Gone?

The times, they are a changin', and this week GM Chairman and Chieftain Rick Wagoner seems to have noticed. Wagoner announced a "strategic review of our Hummer brand," yesterday. Translation: "Anyone want to buy Hummer? Anyone? C'mon...cheap! Cerberus, I'm lookin' at you." Also included in the statement was news that four truck plants will be making the ultimate sacrifice: Moraine, Ohio; Janesville, Wisconsin; Toluca, Mexico; and Oshawa, Ontario. More »

found on ebay

Humvee-Based Coggiola T-REX Makes Escalades Tremble

Tired of all those Escalade, Cayenne, and H2 drivers looking down on you from their suburban luxo-ute towers? Well, we've just the vehicle for you to one-up them with. This Hummer H1-based monstrosity is called the Coggiola T-REX. Standing over 7-feet tall and nearly 18-feet long, it is absolutely massive. And what's better, this dinosaur is up for bids! Sure, anyone could just buy a surplus Humvee if size was all that mattered, so what makes the T-REX special? It's all about the fine Italian styling.

More »

auto branding adventures

Hummer-Branded Mobile Phone Is Very Capable, Surprisingly

The Hummer HT2 is the company's second mobile phone branding adventure. The first Hummer branded mobile, the HT1 is still doing fairly well so it was only inevitable that Hummer would release the HT2. Despite what people may or may not say about Hummer owners, insecurities, compensation and whatnot, the H2T mobile phone isn't too bad. It has one nice feature that many, many other phones lack, and that is dual-SIM slots—meaning it has two SIM slots so multiple phone lines can be used in one mobile phone. More »